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It's the perfect time of year for gingerbread cookies, but what do you do with all that excess ginger? Well, maybe put it in a horse's butt? No, no, don't do that. But some people do. All that and more on this week's history of ginger. Show notes

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Sawbones 1: Trepanation

Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin (that's us!) are thrilled to welcome you to Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine. Every Friday, we'll be digging through the annals of medical history to uncover all the odd, weird, wrong, dumb and just gross ways we've tried to fix people over the years. Educational? You bet! Fun? We hope!

This week, we're starting off with a hole right in your noggin: Trepanation. Won't you join us? We hope you will.

Comments

I am a nurse in a hospital, I ended up getting an admission who had a history of a Chiari Malformation and she had undergone a craniotomy during the repair and had a portion of her skull in her abdomen for a while. She recognized one of my fellow nurses from that admission though the nurse couldn't immediately place her. The patient's explanation? "Sure you know me! I just have my skull back now!" and pointed to her head. That jogged the nurse's memory.

Hey guys! Just started listening to the podcast from the start and I love it! I just wanted to correct the good doctor on one bit of info from this episode. You explained that human skulls are not fused at birth to allow for growth of the brain but I believe the real reason is to allow the head to elongate and pass through the birth canal safely. Even after the skull is fused the brain cavity grows larger, so that's not the reason.

I am REALLY excited about this podcast! As both a medical historian and a longtime max-funster, I can't wait to bring Dr. Syd along on my 3-hour daily commute. The future is bright, and the past is brighter!